Everyone knows Doris Day as the "girl next door" a great actress who fit perfectly into the comedic roles she portrayed, however most don't know she was also a very prolific jazz singer, who didn't get a chance often enough to sing in a creative jazz setting. Well, you're in for a great surprise, Day has found her challenge in jazz pianist Page Cavanaugh(his trio). The Page Cavanaugh Trio backs Day on several of the numbers including I've Got A Feelin' You're Foolin', Just You, Just Me,

You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me, I Could Write A Book and Star Dust. Day is also backed by Van Alexader's swinging big band, however one must admit, Cavanaugh's creative and improvisational piano solos are a highlight, and they inspire the jazz singer in Day. This is the finest example of Doris Day as a full on jazz singer, with her greatest backup ever in Cavanaugh. This cd made up of radio transcriptions is wonderful and will no doubt prove what a truly gifted singer can do in the right settings. A great disc... four stars all the way

These songs were recorded in 1952 and were intended for radio stations to use in filling time. They are remarkably spare and feature Doris Day's voice front and center. They are also wonderful in that they showcase Doris Day as a first rate jazz singer. So many of her recordings bury her beautiful clear voice in syrupy, popular song instrumentation. This album, in contrast, is a collection of spare and relaxed gems. As others have said the early tracks where most of the instrumentation is piano are the best.

This disc is a real treat for anyone who's ever lamented how Doris day's gal-next-door vocals often got buried under heavy string sections (or was bouyed by them, depending on your point of view...) The opening tracks simply feature her and a spare piano accompaniment, courtesy of Page Cavanaugh and his lightly audible trio... Even when backed by a slightly larger combo, Day's vocals are still unchallenged, and fill center stage. Maybe not the most vigorous performances of her career, but a nice chance to hear her in a relaxed, casual setting. Doris Day fans will definitely not want to miss out on these rare early 'Fifties radio transcription recordings.

I love Doris Day's voice in all eras, but these recordings are similar to the singing she did in the film "Young Man With A Horn." These 1952 recordings are representative of the type of singing she left behind the very next year, 1953, when she filmed "Calamity Jane." From that movie came the dramatic "Secret Love," which brought forth a "new Doris Day." She was much more mature and her voice more demanding. The score of the film was zesty and not "little girl."

From "Secret Love" on, Day's voice was the "full grown woman" Doris Day. Just listen to Doris' singing in her next two films, "Lucky Me" and "Young at Heart." In the latter, Frank Sinatra was still stuck in 1952 with his warbling of "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "One For My Baby." Day, on the other hand, seized "There's A Rise Moon," "You My Love" and even "Ready, Willing & Able" with a maturity never heard from her before. Doris' all-out singing in "Love Me or Leave Me" ("Never Look Back," "I'll Never Stop Loving You") and "The Pajama Game" ("I'm Not At All In Love" "Hey There") placed her above all other movie star ladies, none of whom had a full-time recording career like Doris. She, alone, had that distinction.

Her albums, "Day by Day" and "Day By Night" took her to another level of artistry. Even on this album, "Transcriptions" she has a tremendous jazz feel, which came to fruition years later in her "Duets" album with Andre Previn and her sterling work on "Cuttin' Capers."

I was disappointed that the Grammys did not give her an all-out tribute on the 2008 Grammys. Day was watching and must have been disappointed that all of her years in the recording studios were given a mere minute and a half air-time.

So much for appreciating the legends of the music world.

The CD "Sings 22 Original Recordings" (which Amazon for some reason calls "Sings 22 Great Songs on Original Big Band (52-53)") has much the same material, and superior sound. This one does has a more sensible track order, with all the trio material at the start, and it also has a couple of cuts the other CD lacks.